Troy Kingi
Musician
Troy Kingi (Te Arawa, Ngāpuhi, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui) is an actor and a multi-genre musician.
Described by the New Zealand Music Commission as “our Northland treasure”, Kingi rose to fame after the release of his first two multi-award-winning albums, Guitar Party at Uncle's Bach (2016) and Shake That Skinny Ass All the Way to Zygertron (2017). He has also had memorable major roles in Kiwi films Hunt For The Wilderpeople, Pā Boys, Mt. Zion, Toke and The Kick.
Over and above his love for acting, Kingi’s passion is music. And it has led to a successful and ever-expanding artistic career.
Kingi is currently nearing the mid-point of his aspirational 1O 1O 1O Series (10 albums in 10 genres in 10 years). He is a prolific songwriter and serial collaborator with voracious capacity and freakish efficiency, as well as an experienced teacher with an affinity for empowering the young.
Kingi’s third album, Holy Colony Burning Acres (2019), is a hard-hitting deep roots-reggae album focused on major issues facing indigenous peoples all around the world. It won the prestigious 2020 Taite Music Prize, a Silver Scroll Award nomination for ‘Mighty Invader’, Best Roots Album at the 2019 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards – where Kingi was named Best Māori Artist – and three awards at the 2020 Waiata Māori Music Awards.
Kingi’s fourth album, The Ghost of Freddie Cesar (2020), is inspired by memories of his father who disappeared fifteen years ago, 70s funk, and the music and stories of Freddie Cesar – an exceptional yet relatively unknown African American funk musician.
Described by the New Zealand Music Commission as “our Northland treasure”, Kingi rose to fame after the release of his first two multi-award-winning albums, Guitar Party at Uncle's Bach (2016) and Shake That Skinny Ass All the Way to Zygertron (2017). He has also had memorable major roles in Kiwi films Hunt For The Wilderpeople, Pā Boys, Mt. Zion, Toke and The Kick.
Over and above his love for acting, Kingi’s passion is music. And it has led to a successful and ever-expanding artistic career.
Kingi is currently nearing the mid-point of his aspirational 1O 1O 1O Series (10 albums in 10 genres in 10 years). He is a prolific songwriter and serial collaborator with voracious capacity and freakish efficiency, as well as an experienced teacher with an affinity for empowering the young.
Kingi’s third album, Holy Colony Burning Acres (2019), is a hard-hitting deep roots-reggae album focused on major issues facing indigenous peoples all around the world. It won the prestigious 2020 Taite Music Prize, a Silver Scroll Award nomination for ‘Mighty Invader’, Best Roots Album at the 2019 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards – where Kingi was named Best Māori Artist – and three awards at the 2020 Waiata Māori Music Awards.
Kingi’s fourth album, The Ghost of Freddie Cesar (2020), is inspired by memories of his father who disappeared fifteen years ago, 70s funk, and the music and stories of Freddie Cesar – an exceptional yet relatively unknown African American funk musician.